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March 13, 2023
Local knowledge critical for cyclone recovery
Gideon Porter
Posted On March 13, 2023
Former Ngati Kahungunu chair Ngahiwi Tomoana says it’s critical national agencies let locals drive the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle.
Mr Tomoana has been asked by the iwi authority to contribute his decades of experience and networking to the task.
As chair he had to deal with the 2010 floods, the 2016 Havelock North water poisoning and the Covid lockdowns.
He says local knowledge is often ignored as regional and national emergency responders take charge, rather than put themselves in a support role.
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“Sometimes we find ourselves duplicating, replicating – causing static, clutter and chaos. So it’s about tryng to find a shining pathway though that,” Mr Tomoana says.
He’s grateful for the amount of support that has come in from outside, but local knowledge and input could have been used far more effectively.
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